The deadline for negotiations with ABF parent company Arkansas Best Corp. of Fort Smith was Monday. The second round of voting took place Aug. 28, when five of seven regional supplements were passed. A strike authorization vote is part of the Teamsters’ constitution after two rejections.

While the majority of the national contract has been approved, including acceptance of a 7 percent pay cut that will be recouped over five years, the two remaining regional supplements remain for the Central Region Local Cartage group’s 1,800 employees, and the Western States Office’s 50 employees. Exactly what these supplements are has not been released, but the number of yeas to nays was relatively close at 562 to 716 for the Central Region Local Cartage, and 19 to 25 for the Western States Office Employees.

“The ABF national labor contract has been approved by a majority of ABF employees around the country, but we cannot implement the new contract until we get approval on the two remaining contract supplements,” said David Humphrey, Arkansas Best’s director of investor relations. “The Teamster leadership is currently working on defining and acting on the next steps in the process. Hopefully, some details will be available this week on what those ‘next steps’ are.”

According to the Teamsters constitution, those next steps could be to have the master national negotiating committee return to the bargaining table and attempt to address the issues.

“In the event no new tentative agreement is reached, or if the members reject the new tentative agreement, the master committee shall conduct a separate strike authorization vote among the members covered by the special rider or supplement,” page 93 of the constitution states.

As ABF and the Teamsters move into a third round of talks and voting, the trucking company is on the mend following the recession. ABF lost $19.4 million last year and $8.5 million in the first six months of 2013. However, the company reported a $4.9 million second-quarter profit.

The new five-year national contract that was approved in June cuts wages 7 percent and restores them gradually. It also includes a profit-sharing bonus.